Written by: Skyliners Synchronized Skating Team Coach, U.S. Figure Skating DREAM Program and Miami University Varsity Synchronized Skating Team Alumni, Ashley Mulhern
I began my journey in the world of synchronized skating at the age of 6 in a Learn to Skate USA Synchro Badge class at my local rink. This was during a time where precision skating was just making the transition to the synchronized skating name. But to 6-year-old me, it didn’t matter what it was called – I knew nothing about it other than that it meant that I got to be on the ice for one more hour during the week and that was enough for me.
I had never seen the sport before, nor did I have any concept of how it was different than my other group or private skating lessons. Still, I knew that I wanted to do it and begged my mom to give up her Friday nights for a 6-year old’s skating dream (in hindsight, I am incredibly lucky and thankful that she did).
I quickly fell head over blades in love with this sport that I knew nothing about, especially when that little group of young skaters unexpectedly went from just learning to synchro together to competing in two competitions at the preliminary level together. While I may not have known it then, it would be experiences like that where skaters came together simply because of their common love for being on the ice and desire to be better, stronger skaters, ultimately turning them into a group of true teammates that would always keep me coming back for more.
As I progressed through the sport, I continued to make some of the most incredible friendships with my teammates. These friendships were often far stronger even than the ones I made at school with people I saw every day. Looking back on it, I now realize that that those friendships with teammates were so strong for so many reasons.
Synchronized skating naturally gave us common ground through a collective goal. The sport also taught us so many life lessons about determination, overcoming adversity together, time management and above all else, how to work together to accomplish our dreams, because without every single person on the team we could never truly be successful.
As I think back on all the teams, levels and different organizations that I competed with throughout my competitive career, whether it was one of the greatest years or one of the most challenging with the most adversity and difficulty thrown our way, my “why” always remained the same. That why was my TEAMMATES!
I learned very early on that we needed every single individual on the team equally to be as successful as possible. This included the coaches, the skaters in the program, the skaters on the side of the rink cheering us on and bringing that outside perspective, every member of the support staff and our parents, family and friends who may not have ever been skaters themselves. Still, they absolutely contributed to the success of the team as well.
I always knew that even in the hardest of times, I could always lean on my teammates for support and that I would forever do the same for them. Even now, six years removed from my last competitive experience at the 2015 World Synchronized Skating Championships with the 2014-15 Miami University senior synchronized team, I still feel part of a “team” each and everyday and always “do it for my teammates.”
Between my Miami Skating family, my Skyliners family of both skaters and coaches, my amazing immediate family who has always supported me in everything I’ve done on and off the ice, my coworkers and my friends and loved ones, all of these people are my “teammates” today and are my why in the synchronized skating world and beyond. I know that I could still call on any of these people for support, guidance and love. And that fuels my passion for the sport and desire to keep giving back.
I always tell people how thankful I am for 16 unbelievable competitive seasons of countless experiences in the sport of synchronized skating. I always knew that ending my competitive career would be a huge challenge for me. I feel very lucky to have competed for Miami University for four amazing seasons at the senior level and to have had the opportunity to be an NCAA Division 1 athlete representing not only my university but also the country that I love so much.
This opportunity also gave me direction and a clear path to the end of my competitive career, knowing that as an NCAA athlete, I was given just four years of eligibility and I needed to make the best of every minute of that because once that was over, my time competing at an elite level would be as well. I remember thinking to myself during the hardest of practices where I may have initially wanted to give up or only give 50% of my effort, that one day practicing with my teammates in this same way (even when it was hard) would no longer be my reality.
As my favorite Peloton instructor Jess Sims always say, “You don’t have to, you get to,” and that motivated me to continuing give my very best each day not only for myself, but even more so for my teammates. I would always huddle up with my team before a practice, a run-through or a competition skate and remind them that we were doing this for each other.
I would say this as a reminder that it didn’t matter what else was going on around us, as long as we were all in it together. I always think that for me that final four-year path was a blessing in disguise because while I would still love to be competing at the highest level even six years later, that clear-cut end to my competitive career opened up so many other opportunities for me to continue to be involved in the sport and to give back in other ways. I also knew that all of my teammates were going through that very same transition and we could always turn to each other for support and advice.
Once my competitive career ended in the spring of 2015, I took a job in sales that moved me to Atlanta. While that was one of the most challenging times for me, as I was freshly transitioning away from being an athlete who ate, slept and breathed ice skating for the vast majority of my life up to that point, it was still that idea of teammates that made me most successful. I embraced the idea of new teammates now in an office rather than an ice rink. Once again during the most challenging times we learned to lean on each other for support and worked together with the common goal of completing our sales training program.
Once I was relocated to Connecticut in December 2015, I reached out to the Skyliners and started coaching for the same organization that I grew up competing for. While I always note how different coaching has been than actually competing myself, I also always knew that I wanted to give back to young skaters and strive to give them the same experiences and life lessons that the sport of synchronized skating gave me. Seeing my skaters’ love for the sport and determination to reach their highest potential is always incredibly rewarding.
Beyond coaching, I‘ve also loved being part of shaping the future of U.S. Figure Skating and the sport of synchronized skating in the U.S. through my involvement in the Athlete Advisory Committee and the Synchronized Skating Development and Technical Committee over the past 10+ years with the goal of making it the best it can be for every athlete. Now my skaters as well as skaters across the country (even at just 6 or 7 years old) are part of the group I would call my “teammates” and they continue to be my why for my ever growing passion for and dedication to synchronized skating.
~ Ashley
U.S. DREAM Synchro 